Riddick's Pain
by Asphodel Oakburt
Summary: A year after taking the throne and JackKyra’s death, Riddick yearns for his past and comes across a feisty woman who helps him satisfy his hunger for home. ::Rated T for now. Rating will change later on. I'm working on it.:
1. Chapter 1 Furya's Pain

**Chapter One: Furya's Pain**

Riddick slumped in his throne. Being king of the Necromongers was terribly lonely. Not only was he a different race, but Kyra had died in the hands of its previous king. And most of all, he was Richard B. Riddick: escaped convict, murderer. He wasn't used to being served or commanding an entire fleet. He was used to running from them and those damned mercs, killing them if they got too close. It just wasn't him.

For the past month though, he'd been obsessed with one thing: his homeland and its inhabitants. Well, the ones that survived anyway. Being the Necromonger king, he used it to his advantage. Sending his best intelligence officers out to gather information, he originally hoped to find the whereabouts of his former planet. His officers, though, had more in mind.

Soon enough, the doors to his darkened throne room opened and echoes of curses filled the atmosphere. He smirked and looked over at the girl struggling to free herself from his Necromonger guards.

"What the fuck did I do?! Let me go!" she screamed.

He watched her clearly in the dark kicking and fidgeting. The guards still held their stone faces. They dropped her directly in front of him and stepped back a bit. The girl sat frog-legged on the marble floor, looking around as she rubbed her aching arms. Riddick snapped his fingers and the guards left, closing the doors behind them.

He'd always wanted to do that.

The girl gasped a bit and looked around, wide-eyed. Riddick could see that she was trying to take in her surroundings but could see nothing at all. It was almost pitch black all around her. She stood up and continued to rub her arms. From what Riddick could see, she wore short, brown shorts and a white, sleeveless tank top with what looked like a net-like material over it. Her bulky boots matched her brown shorts. Both were made of crude leather. Her wavy hair, which was tied in a bun, looked disheveled, probably from her fidgeting.

He shifted in his seat and smirked at her. "Afraid of the dark?" he purred, his deep voice echoing throughout the vast throne room. She turned her head sharply to face his general direction.

"No." She spat. "Why am I here? What do you want from me?" she demanded. "I haven't done anything illegal here so why'd you have me taken?" She was a mixture of emotions. Annoyance, anger, and a hint of fear.

"Caught you at a bad time?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes, actually. I was busy…" she trailed off.

"Busy…with what?"

"None of your damn business." She snapped.

"So you're a Furyan." He began.

"No shit." She rolled her eyes. "Why? What are you gonna do about it?"

He chuckled. "And here I thought my guards were mistaken, _again_." He said. "What's your name?"

"Why am I here first?" she asked.

"What's your name?" he stood up and walked to her slowly and silently. She had an annoyed look on her face. Fear and uncertainty were nowhere to be found.

"_Why_ am I _here_?" she asked again, this time, very slowly and clearly.

He stopped directly in front of her and snapped his fingers again, making the dome glow a dim blue light. His eyes shone in hers and she gasped, a look of surprise clearly drawn on her features.

"What is your name?" he asked slowly. She gulped, feeling her heart rate raise quite a bit. She regained her composure and quietly swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Pain." She said, coming out more like a croak than she originally intended.

He smirked again. "Pain, eh?" he began, circling her. He stopped in front of her and looked down at her belt. His guards had taken away her shivs. "Never been in," he continued, looking back at her eyes. "Pain." His eyes probed hers and found what he was looking for.

She raised and eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "Well you ain't feeling any Pain any time soon." She said haughtily.

A spark of Fury.

"You _are_ Furyan." He smirked, rubbing his chin as if he was thinking.

"Like I said," she quirked her eyebrow. "No shit."

He furrowed his brow at her and gave her an intense stare. "Some way to treat a king."

She kept eye contact and returned the stare with almost the same intensity, eyes wavering just a bit. "Yeah, well, you ain't my king."

"But you're in my palace."

"Not like I wanted to be here! I was dragged to this gloomy hunk of emptiness, you know." she retorted.

"You're on my planet." He answered back.

"'Coz you destroyed mine, you asshole." The stare turned into a glare.

"Actually, it was the guy before me but good comeback anyway." He said, chuckling. "I didn't destroy Furya."

"The guy before you?" she asked dully.

"Yeah."

"Oh, and I'm the dairy princess of the past born of domesticated coconuts." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "You expect me to believe that BS?"

"Truth be told, princess, yeah, I do." He said. "You see, the last guy before me got this prediction from an Elemental that a Furyan would be his downfall, so he wasted no time preventing that from happening." He said, pacing before her a bit. "It did anyway so now I'm king…you know that Necromonger way…you keep what you kill." He shrugged.

"You're a Furyan?" she asked as dully as before, crossing her arms under her chest and raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." He nodded, crossing his massive arms over his equally massive chest, raising an eyebrow back at her.

"So you were that Furyan that 'would be he downfall,'" she repeated. "So then it's still your fault Furya's one big fuckin' mess."

"Hey, _I_ didn't make that prediction!"

"So? If you weren't going to be his 'downfall', she wouldn't have predicted it in the first place!"

"I wouldn't have killed him if the circumstances were different!" he argued.

"What were the circumstances then?"

"None of your damn business." He growled.

"I'm making it my business."

"You're a stubborn bitch, you know that?" he asked, pointing a finger at her as he walked to his throne and took a seat.

She rolled her eyes, keeping her arms crossed as she shifted her weight in her legs so she was leaning to her right. She scoffed. "So I've been told."

Silence.

She watched him under the dim blue hue as he battled with his thoughts and a memory, it seemed, he was trying to forget. "What happened?" she asked softly.

He looked up at her and, for a moment, thought he saw the same glint of curiosity that Kyra's…Jack's eyes held.

He sighed. "I lost someone." He murmured, his voice an octave lower than normal.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"I just did, too, actually." She added after an awkward moment of silence. "So…I guess I know how it-"

"I don't think you do." He cut her off. "You didn't have the kind of past this person and I shared…it's a past no one should have to go through but…I'm kinda thankful for it."

"You're not the only one who's had a rough past, you know…you have no idea." She said coldly.

He looked her up and down once more before he spoke again, going back on topic. "My guards took you to me because they heard you knew Furya like the back of your hand, if you'll excuse the lame analogy."

"Yeah, so? What's it to you?" she snapped, going back to her rebellious self.

"I want you to show me the way to Furya." He said. "I want you to show me Furya."

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Pain was thrown into a cell and caged. She picked herself up and ran to the bars, rattling it fiercely as she growled in frustration. "Let—me—OUT OF HERE!" she screamed.

Riddick took two steps closer and held her chin in between the bars. "You ain't getting out until you cooperate, got it, princess?" he purred. She glared at him and jerked her head back, spitting at his feet.

He pulled himself up to his full height and towered over her. "Give her enough food and water to live, nothing more," he said to his guards. "Not until she comes peacefully." He added with a smirk.

"Bastard." She spat. He winked at her before he left. She kicked the bars as hard as she could in an attempt to rent out all frustration.

It didn't work. She was still very much pissed.

"Riddick." She growled.

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Yeah, I knew Riddick. I'd know those eyes anywhere. Baako's surgical shine job was absolutely flawless. Besides, I was there. I remember it like it was two weeks ago. Twenty menthol kools lay beside me as I sat watching. Baako asked me to assist him, so I did. I held Riddick's eyes before Baako put them in. I held Riddick's old eyes after Baako cut them out. I never left. Only did when the whole 12-hour process was done.

It was nothing, really. Baako was a really good friend of mine. Besides, back then, Riddick and I…well…we sorta had this thing going. Nothing serious, though. It only actually happened 'coz they had us share the same cell.

I knew Riddick…knew him when he still had his deep, blue-green eyes.

Yeah, I noticed them. Big deal. So maybe I sorta liked him a bit, even though he was shitty to me most of the time. I've been told I was a bit of a masochist. But what I really can't believe is that he didn't even recognize me! He didn't even look like he found me the least bit familiar! Didn't he even recognize my scent?

The big fucker.

But then, I can't say I blame him. My hair was chopped short (I grew my hair past my shoulders), and I was still on the under-developed-slash-developing phase. I was also a wee bit on the short side…5'4. Riddick would be about 6'2…you can just imagine. But we weren't a couple…and now I'm babbling.

Point is: I grew up. When I was at the slam doing time for assault and murder (they attacked my planet…damned Necros had it coming), I was pretty. I was still developing, but I was pretty (hell, I knew I was pretty since I was ten). But then like that saying goes: Late bloomers come out the best…or something like that. Thing is, I looked cute when I was 18, but now, I guess I'm as beautiful as chaos herself.

So I'm narcissistic…got a problem?

I really can't help it. Growing up, I've been told I was a cutie pie; a cute kid. But as I grew up, well, let's just say most of the asses I've ghosted either tried to or got too close to my skin. Okay, maybe I'm not _that_ vain, but at least I'm confident.

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Pain sat on the cold stone floor and sighed. She looked around and observed. The dungeons were giving her goosebumps, and she hated it. She only got goosebumps when something's about to go terribly wrong. She carefully stood and looked around. Some inmates winked and whistled, some just stared. She ignored them and held the bars that held her in. She knew there was something wrong. She knew that her intuition was acting up again and it was never wrong. Just then, all other thoughts vanished to be replaced with one solitary word.

"Megaquake." She breathed. She crouched and pressed her ear to the ground. "Shit!" she spat. "ShitshitshitshitSHIT!" She heard the earth give a low frequency rumble and her heart banged against her chest. "It's coming." She whispered so only she could hear. Then, she did what she felt she had to do and called out with all her might.

"RIDDICK!"

Some of the men snapped at her, the others chuckled. "What do you think you're doing, little missy? Calling on the Lord Marshall using his name? Do you have a death wish?" one of the inmates joked.

"RIDDICK!" she called a second time.

"Scream as loud as you can, love, you're under ten feet of brimstone, even the dungeon guards won't hear." Said the old hag to her left.

Then she heard her grandmother's voice in her head. '_All Furyans have a special connection. All races have special connections between themselves. But non could be stronger than that of the Furyans._'

'_What about the Elementals?_' she heard her 10-year-old self ask.

'_A wonderful race, they are, yes. But they have a different sort of connection. Ours is still the strongest above all other races._'

Pain took a deep breath and shut her eyes tight.

'_Remember, my dearest, three's a charm._' She heard her grandmother's smiling voice before she screamed one last time.

"RIDDICK!"

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(Author's Note: hey hey...thanks for your reviews guys...y'all are really kind :D -sniff sniff- my first posted fic after the longest time...now I know why all them other authors love reviews so much...they give you a high!! lol but no, really. I really appreciate them. Oh and as you all noticed, I corrected a few. Furia - Furya. lol. I just watched Dark Fury...it's hard to find it here where I live but my dad came thru! :D)


	2. Chapter 2 You Called?

(A/N: Hey ya! finally, I was able to go online. Like **Layla gurl** noticed, I made a mistake with Kyra's last words. I saw it, too, and I was so ticked that I couldn't log on becausei had to wait until our techies could fix our internet connection! ah, but it's all taken care of. They actually took so long fixing it, I forgot about it and the revised chapters I was gonna upload! So thanks much **Layla gurl** for reminding me..don't worry, you didn't sound mean, I appreciated it D)

**Chapter Two: You Called?**

For a while there, I thought the boys had gotten me an early birthday present. But upon closer inspection, she looked too good to be a hooker. She looked unique, with the beauty of a wild animal.

Even Richard B. Riddick can appreciate that.

She was interesting…different, yet, strangely familiar. It was at the tip of my tongue but I know I've seen her before. At least I think I have. She really seemed Furyan, so, that was probably the reason why. Or maybe it was that instant when I looked at her and all of a sudden, she was Kyra. Jack! I guess her death really…nevermind. It was probably the after effects of having someone die in my grasp. Someone I didn't kill, let alone someone I never wanted to die. She was young, and beautiful. She didn't deserve it. And it was because of me. I know the kid wouldn't want me to blame myself, though. I could still hear her voice sometimes, her last words.

'I was always with you...I was…'

Damn, I'm gettin' soft.

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Riddick was walking up to his room when he heard a low rumble. He furrowed his brow and slowed his stride. He turned to his guards and raised their eyebrows at them. They seemed to visibly shake for a bit but they didn't show that they felt anything out of the ordinary, so he kept on walking. Just then, he felt the wind get knocked out of him. He suddenly stopped walking and held his chest as he buckled and fell to the floor, a faint echo could be heard calling his name. Some guards ran to his side and helped him up.

"Are you all right, Lord Marshall?" one of them asked. Riddick shrugged them off and stood on his own.

"Did you hear anything?" he asked them. The guards shook their heads and glanced at each other. "No, I'm not going crazy." Said Riddick, annoyed. His guards stood at attention. Riddick looked around and strained his ears to hear. Then, he had what felt like a wave of energy hit him again, same force as before. And again, he heard his name. He looked at his guards stare at him with confused looks on their faces. "Only I can hear…" he murmured.

He thought hard, wracking his brain for an answer. Waves of energy washing over you? Echoes in his head calling out his name? He never felt this before, and yet, he felt like he knew what it was. Then, he felt his mind go blank. Nothing was left except for—

"…Pain." He breathed. And at that exact moment, he felt another wave of energy followed by the loudest call he felt. He ran back toward the dungeons, leaving his guards to catch up. This time, he felt something tugging at his chest, pulling him. It got stronger as he neared the dungeon doors.

"Get outta my way." He growled at the guards. They immediately complied and stood aside. He rushed in and ran down the stone steps. He caught the faces of some inmates on the way. They looked utterly surprised to see him. He chose not to mind them and ran directly for Pain's cell.

"YOU! OPEN IT UP!" he yelled at the guard beside him. He jumped and fumbled with the keys. Just then, he heard a high-pitched sound, followed by another low rumble. Then the earth started to shake. Riddick growled in frustration and grabbed the lock on her cell, pulling it off. He kicked open the bars and gently hoisted her unconscious form into his arms. "Let's go." He growled at the guard and strode up the stone steps and out the dungeons.

"Where's the safest place here during a megaquake?" Riddick asked his guards, walking down the hallway that led to his throne room.

"Your bedchamber is the safest place there is, Lord Marshall." The guard replied. "Nothing can destroy it, as well as most of the palace."

"Save the prisoners worth saving, leave the rest behind." He commanded.

"Yes, sir!" The guard saluted and ran off. Riddick turned left into another hallway and ran to his room, striding to his bed and laying Pain on her back. The door had already been closed by the guards outside. He looked at her unconscious form and brushed stray strands of hair off her face. He pulled on the band that bound her hair to the back of her head and let soft, light brown waves flow on the soft, silky sheets that clothed his pillows. Her almond eyes were still closed, but were rapidly moving around.

Riddick knew he knew her from before…but he wouldn't show it. Not until he knew for sure.

Later that evening, Pain stirred and opened her eyes. She groaned and gently felt the right side of her forehead. She winced in pain when her fingers came in contact with a swollen bump on her head. She slowly sat up and looked around the moonlit room. It was enormous. She was lying on a king-sized bed with sheets upon sheets of silk as soft as Egyptian cotton and as smooth as velvet. Even the pillows were dressed in the shimmering material. A painting was set over the bed being supported by four beams on each of its corners as curtains of lace that lined the canopy blew in the cool evening breeze.

"You passed out." Came a low voice from the outside. She faced her right and saw Riddick leaning over the stone railings of the veranda. He turned to face her. "Sleep well?" he smirked.

"Barely." She scowled.

"You kept calling my name throughout the time you were asleep, I'd sometimes think you were gettin' shiv'd and you needed my help." He chuckled, walking to her.

She furrowed her brow at him. "Calling your name?" she asked. "Why in the fuck would I be calling your name? And even if I was getting shiv'd, it wouldn't be your ass I'd be calling to save mine…I can take care of myself."

She heard him give a slight chuckle. "You're really—"

"Furyan? I know, you only said that about 2 million times today."

"—something else." He finished, a smirk dancing upon his full lips.

She looked away from his glowing eyes. "Riddick,"

No answer. She felt his eyes on her as she shifted her legs and rested both on his bed. She figured he was listening so she took it to continue. "I…I'll help you get to Furya." She finally said.

His eyes brightened, if that was at all possible. "What made you change your mind?"

"Just be thankful…if you keep pushing it, I may just change it again."

"Just tell me. What made you change your mind?" he asked again.

She eyed him. "You don't give up easy." She said.

His eyebrows danced up and down. "Don't you just admire the determination?"

"No, actually, I find it quite annoying." She rolled her eyes.

He scowled.

"So when do you think we can go?" she asked, leaning back onto the bed on her elbows.

He sat across her and leaned on one of the beams. "Anytime you think you're ready…are you strong enough? I don't wanna be responsible for you if you're gonna be passing out on me every once in a while."

"Yes, I'm strong enough." She spat. "And I don't know…I just thought I'd help you…figured you really didn't mean any harm if you actually heard my call…" she trailed off, playing with a lock of hair that rested on her thigh. Her long hair blew slightly in the wind.

"You called me?"

"Yes," she mumbled so inaudibly, the untrained ear would have missed it.

An arrogant smirk played at his lips. "Now, what was that you said earlier about savin' your own ass?"

"Watch it, you're ego's filling up the entire room." She said, glaring at a spot on the wall to her left so she won't have to look him in the face. Her face was burning and she didn't want any more teasing.

She felt the laugh that escaped his lips in her chest. "And your face is beginning to burn brighter than the sun." He smirked.

She huffed. "Well, I'm fine…we can go anytime you want." She said, standing up. Suddenly, the whole room began to swirl and tilt on its side. She staggered and was about to fall when Riddick's swift yet graceful hands caught her before she could hit the ground. His powerful arms flexed as he pulled her up into his grasp. She kept her eyes squeezed tight as her head spun for a few moments. When she opened them, she found her head resting on his god-like chest, her hands clutched his shirt.

"Rest first." He purred in her ear. "You're still weak."

"I am not—"

"Rest." He said again, this time, sounding more like a command than a request. "We can leave first thing tomorrow if you want…just not tonight." He waited for her response. None came. "Okay?" he pressed.

She nodded. He laid her back down on his bed and turned to leave.

"I'll sleep here?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm." He nodded as he kept on walking.

"How about you?"

"I can sleep on the couch." He said, gesturing to a piece of furniture that looked more like a normal-sized bed than a couch. It was also covered in the same silk the bed was.

"That's a couch?" she asked, surprised.

"Yep," she heard him chuckle. He opened the door to his room and turned to face her before he stepped out. "Made for a king," he smiled. "Sleep well, princess." He winked and closed the door.

Pain smiled. She was thankful he had left right at that very moment. The blush that exploded in her cheeks was getting harder and harder to conceal.

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Riddick strode down to the hangar and opened the door. The guards saluted him and stood stiff, others were cleaning up the mess the megaquake had left behind. Riddick nodded at the guards and they relaxed a bit. He walked across the hangar and into a door that led to the conference room.

His advisors stood and welcomed him in. He took a seat at the head of the table and everyone followed.

"She has agreed to take me to Furya." Riddick boomed so everyone could hear. "I will need a crew. We will leave first thing tomorrow."

His head advisor, Wakita, cleared her throat. Riddick eyed her. "Lord Marshall," she began. "I suggest you take with you a fairly large ship with a crew and soldiers…we don't know just how hostile Furyans may be."

Riddick held her stare. "I will take with me who I want." He said. "And all I want to bring with me is a small crew. I don't need soldiers." He continued. "Now considering what happened with your previous Lord Marshall, I can't say I blame them Furyans. But, he destroyed almost everything. I doubt they have the ammo to take us down."

"But Lord Marshall—"

"No, Wakita." He said. "I said I didn't need soldiers. I can fend for myself. My crew will be consisting of a co-pilot, and, say, two scientists. Now I don't mean those beaker-crazy fucks down at the chemical lab…I need medical scientists."

"Yes, of course, sir." Wakita stepped down. Riddick softened his stare. "May I suggest a senior and his assistant?"

"Just as long as they're both good, I got no problem."

"Then please, bring with you Dr. Bachus Pi and his assistant Cadren Aveller." Said Wakita, nodding back at the other advisors who agreed with her.

"They specialize in bio-chemistry and anatomy, Lord Marshall." Said Rolyn, another one of his elder advisors. "They trained most of our medical staff and are currently preceding over the treatment of the ones injured in the megaquake."

Riddick grunted. "Inform them of tomorrow's agenda." He said. A guard saluted and stepped out the room.

"And what will be your agenda once you reach Furya, sire?" Wakita asked.

Riddick thought for a moment. "Right now, it's all just exploration." He said. "I wanna see the place…I don't remember it before the massacre but this'll have to do. I guess I'll take it from there."

Wakita nodded her head. "Will we be informed of anything?" she bravely asked.

Riddick raised an eyebrow at her. Rolyn swallowed the lump that was beginning to grow in his throat. "Yes." Riddick finally replied. The whole room relaxed. Even Wakita seemed to look a little relieved.

"If I may ask, Lord Marshall, how long do you think your stay on Furya will be?" Rolyn asked. Riddick seemed to like the respect Rolyn showed better than Wakita's little display of attitude.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I'm just checking the place out so it might not take more than a week or so." He said.

"Planning to Starjump, sire?"

"Of course." He replied. "The quicker I get there and the quicker I get back, the better." He said. "Maybe then I'll decide what to do."

Wakita smiled and nodded her head. "I see, Lord Marshall." She said as Riddick stood.

"You all may go…I'm going to need my rest so I'll have to dismiss you all early." Riddick walked toward the doors.

"Safe trip, Lord Marshall." Wakita smiled. Rolyn said the same thing and bowed. Riddick liked him. The other advisors wished him well as he left. They were still standing as respect when the guards closed the doors behind him.

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(Author's Note: Okay, that's the second chapter :D I'll update when I get more reviews hehehe :) how you guys liked it, tho :p

**Kae** thanks so much!! also for reading my fic...'coz if it were me, I don't think I would've clicked on the link...no reviews. You really think it has _that_ much potential? blush lol

**hollie** thanks :D it's my first fic so...I really needed that hehe

**Angel** your wish has been granted! Please read on and lemme know what you think :D

Love you all!)


	3. Chapter 3 Wakita

(**Author's Note**: Haha! Chapter 3 :D

Thanks to all those who reviewed or to those who just took a peek at my story and didn't even bother to finish…much less review.:) Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks to my beta Malphas, too…thanks for taking so long to log on, I had absolutely nothing to do but fix the chappy up a bit :D hehe

IMO, part of this chapter's kinda redundant…I'll fix that soon…Malphas hasn't been a good beta to me lol. I thinkthis chappyain't my best but I'll fix it. This chapter is kinda "informative" or something…I dunno…just read :)

I'll post chapter 4 depending on the reviews I get…if you like it, yay! Post! If you don't, I'll be forced to shrink and curl up in my sad corner, ne'er to write again………

Oh well, happy reading, everyone! :D)

**Chapter Three: Wakita**

Wakita waited until Riddick was out of the room before walking over to his seat at the head of the table and made herself comfortable. The others sat as well.

"It is quite evident that he has plans for colonization." She began. "He is finally taking more action. He is finally acting like a king." She smiled triumphantly.

"He was doing quite well for our race in this past year even without her." Rolyn argued. "He was actually taking care of us, more or less."

"He wasn't being as aggressive as he should have been!" she hissed. "Look at him now, he is more in control, more…determined."

"It really was her, then?" asked one of the other 10 advisors Riddick had, including Wakita and Rolyn.

"Indeed, Ninae." Wakita's smile widened. "And it was my stroke of brilliance that brought back his spirit."

Rolyn sighed. Power-hungry Wakita always thought of herself as the true leader of the Necromongers. She had always thought that Necropolis was an awesome nation because of her. She had always insisted that she was, in some way, its rightful ruler; that she was the puppeteer holding the strings of every Lord Marshal up and doing with him as she saw fit. Her decisions, her nation.

But when Riddick had become Lord Marshal, she was having a bit of trouble. By suggesting to the previous Lord Marshal that he should have every Furyan killed so that prediction would never come true, she thought she was safe, controlling the easiest puppet she had ever come across. She figured that she'd stay his loyal and most trusted advisor until he was too old and then kill him, taking her rightful place as "The True Necromonger Ruler."

But her plans were destroyed. Somehow, Riddick had escaped.

When Riddick finally came to Helion Prime, she got to work pulling every string her long, slender fingers could. She had told the Lord Marshal to get the newly-converted girl to try and convince him to give up when she saw how much she meant to him if he had gone through all that just to get her. When the girl didn't work, Wakita had Riddick and the Lord Marshal fight. It was just unfortunate for her when her strings got tangled up with another puppeteer's set of strings: Dame Vakko and her puppet, otherwise known as her husband.

Riddick ended up killing the Lord Marshal, putting Wakita's plans for Necromonger domination on hold. She tried immediately to tie her strings around him but somehow, he'd manage to cut them off.

But Rolyn figured she'd recover from her rut sooner or later. And she did. He could feel her aura shift and hold almost the same amount of confidence she had held before.

"Everything is going just as it's supposed to be." Wakita smiled.

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Pain was still awake by the time Riddick returned to the room. He stopped in mid-stride when he saw her sitting up in bed looking right at him with sleepy eyes. "You're supposed to be asleep."

"I couldn't sleep."

"How come?" he closed the huge doors and walked inside. Adjusting her eyes to the darkness, she watched him cross the room to stop in front of a full-length mirror. He took off his regal cloak and hung it over the mirror, revealing a black wife-beater and a slightly bulky pair of pants. It was also only now she noticed his bulky black boots. "Why can't you sleep?" he asked her again. His voice shook her out of her reverie and she, as soon as she realized it, immediately stopped staring.

"I—I don't know." She answered truthfully. '_Maybe it's because I'm afraid_,' she thought then mentally kicked herself afterwards. '_Afraid? Where the fuck did _that_ come from?_'

"Afraid?" She jumped, thinking he'd read her mind. He chuckled. "And jumpy." He said, flopping onto the king-sized couch. "You're gonna need your strength…we're leaving tomorrow, first thing." He said. "That's what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can you handle it?"

"Yeah, I can handle it." She scowled, falling back on one of the soft-as-air pillows he had spread all over his bed. "I'm not sick or _dying_ or anything, and I'm not weak…I just used a lot of energy call…uh, a while ago." She stopped herself. _Maybe reminding Riddick that I called on him isn't such a bright idea_, she thought to herself. _He seems pretty damn cocky at the moment._

He gave a little laugh. "Right." He said, laying back down on the cushions with his hands entwined under his bald head. "Sleep. Be sure you're ready for tomorrow, I'm wakin' you up bright an' early."

"Fine." She grumbled, pulling the covers over her shoulder as she turned her back to him.

"'Night, princess."

"Good night…" she trailed off, eyes wide awake.

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A little after she fell asleep, she felt a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake. She groaned and pulled the sheets over her head. The same hand, she figured, grabbed the sheets and pulled it off her. She curled into a ball as she grabbed a pillow and threw it over her shoulder, hoping it hit the person bothering her. She heard a growl and felt the hand shake her again. She groaned louder in protest and in reply to the growl as she got another pillow and this time, covered her face in it.

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"_Leerrve mee alroore…_" He heard her say through the big pillow she had covering her face. Riddick clenched his jaws and pulled the pillow off her, hoping she doesn't hit him again with another one.

"Pain," his voice rumbled. "Wake up." He growled. '_Now…before you get me even more pissed…_' he added silently as he tried to shake her awake one last time.

She faked sobs and sat up. "Fuck…I just fell asleep…" she whined, yawning. She squinted at Riddick and scowled at him. "Way to ruin a perfectly good dream…I was actually real close to finally—"

"Kissing your dream prince? This ain't no time for fantasies, princess. We're leaving right now." He said, walking over to a closet about the same size as everything was in his room – extra large. He pulled out a red, ragged-looking cloak and slipped it around his shoulders. He grabbed his goggles and pulled it over his head.

Pain rolled her eyes and got off the bed. "I know, I know," she said, walking over to the window where the curtains were fully drawn. "And for your information, I wasn't about to kiss my _dream prince_," she spat the last two words like it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Just as Riddick was about to pull the goggles over his eyes, she jerked the curtains open and let the bright sunlight fill the dim room. Riddick winced and turned away.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Blind me?" he growled, securing the darkened lenses over his eyes. He eyed her as she walked to him.

"I was finally going to lay one big one right…here." She said, lightly brushing his full lips with her fingers as she walked past him towards the door.

Riddick smirked. "_Now_ I know what's going on every time you call my name in your sleep." He purred. "If you're dreaming of makin' out with me, you can just say so…it might even become reality." He placed both hands on either side of his hips, quirking his eyebrow suggestively.

"Who ever said I was going to kiss you?" she smirked back before walking out the room, leaving Riddick staring after her swaying hips. He shook his head and looked back around his room, eyes falling on his disheveled bed. It was big enough to fit three of him and she had all that space to herself. He would have shared the bed with her if she asked. He shook his head, sighing. '_Can't you _please_ think with your _other_ head?_' He said to himself before his thoughts went back to Pain's hourglass shape.

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"Is the ship ready?" Riddick asked the man in charge of the hangar as they walked briskly towards the ship itself. Pain was still tying the laces of the red leather tube top that was neatly prepared on her bed the moment she stepped out of the shower. Riddick glanced at her over his shoulder as she fiddled with the straps. The tube top she was wearing looked like a corset but instead of being tied behind, the laces were in front. It started about three inches below her collar bone and ended at the bottom of her ribs, exposing her flat stomach nicely. She also wore a matching pair of tight red leather pants that hugged her hips and a pair of bulky, black boots.

He turned his attention back to the ship and the man in charge who was apparently explaining the ship to him the whole time. "…And that's how it works." Riddick caught his last few words. "She's amazing, isn't she?" he sighed, gesturing to the ship.

Riddick grunted his reply. Looking more closely, he saw two men, one younger than the other, talking with Wakita. Rolyn was just behind her, listening. "Are those our scientists?" he asked the man again.

The man nodded. "Yes," he said as the three of them reached the ship. Wakita turned and bowed to Riddick. The others followed.

"Lord Marshal," Wakita began. "This is Dr. Bachus Pi, our head _medical_ scientist," he said, emphasizing the word medical as she gestured to the older man. He smiled and bowed. Riddick nodded his head once and looked at the younger one. He looked like he was in his early twenties and noticed that he kept glancing at Pain who, at that moment, was busy sliding her shiv's into the black belt that hung around her hips.

"And this, My Lord, is his assistant and student Cadren Aveller." Wakita continued. Cadren tore his eyes away from Pain and turned to meet Riddick's glowing ones. Riddick quirked an eyebrow and Cadren bowed.

"The co-pilot," Riddick began. "Where is he?"

The man then cleared his throat and bowed a bit. "That would be me, Lord Marshal." He said. "Oh!" he exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "I haven't introduced myself. I am Captain Abram Tooks, in charge of your hangar and assigned to co-piloting your ship." He said, smiling. "Everyone just calls me Cap'n Tooks or just plain ol' Tooks, sire." He added.

"Yes, well, very nice." Wakita began, obviously forcing a smile. "That's every ship personnel you asked for, Lord Marshal. Clothes and food have been taken care of and are in the cargo, and the fuel tank and reserves are fully replenished." She said. "Anything else, sire?"

Riddick looked at Wakita for a moment or two before replying. "No." he said.

"Er, very well, Lord Marshal," she said, backing up a bit. Rolyn followed. "We shall head on to Control and oversee your safe departure." She said, bowing to him before turning her back and leaving. Rolyn bowed, as well.

"Safe journey, Lord Marshal." He said, and left to follow Wakita.

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(Author's Note: Oh yay! 3rd chapter heehee! To be honest with y'all, I'm so touched by the reviews y'all submitted! I really hope you guys continue to read on, and I really hope you like what you just read :D kisses!)


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